Exciting times in our house I tell ya’, emphasis on the word house. That’s right, Ryan and I just bought our first home! It’s cute, it’s the perfect starter and it needs some work which is why I have been MIA for the past couple of days. It is also why I decided to make these curried chicken salad sandwiches with curry, cranberries and almonds. They are easy, super flavorful and most important to us new homeowners who don’t yet live in our new home because we are fixing it up, they are also very portable.

I am a giant fan of curried chicken. Well I’m not a giant in the literal sense, although that would be pretty cool, I just really like chicken curry. Generally when I have it the chicken is simmered in a spicy curry sauce and spooned over jasmine rice like this, but that’s not feasible right now, plus its going to be like a bajillion degrees here this week. FYI in Seattle terms 95 degrees =  a bajillion degrees and I just don’t like cooking when it is that hot. That is why these sandwiches are perfect, they use already prepared chicken so I don’t have to spend much time on dinner and can concentrate on more important things like what color to paint the dining room.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 cups diced cooked diced chicken breast
• salt to taste
• 4 slices sourdough bread

1. Whisk first six ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in cranberries, almonds and diced chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Season to taste with salt.
2. Toast sourdough bread if desired. Spoon mixture onto bread.
3. Serve.

Enjoy!

Ryan loves sandwiches. I mean loves sandwiches. He might even refer to him self as a sandwich connoisseur.  Ryan’s love of sandwiches has gotten to the point where my dear sweet husband can be very picky. For this reason,  when I set out to make them for us I have to make sure they are extra special. Take this sandwich for instance, it has herb marinated chicken and a quick and easy garlic mayonnaise. The combination together makes for one delectable sandwich. And my reward for making sure the sandwich is extra special? The smile on his face while he eats it… oh and slapping his hand as he tries to take mine.

I was considering making my own aioli for this recipe but I was short on time and didn’t have any eggs. Since aioli is essentially garlic mayonnaise, the next best thing is to chop up a few cloves of garlic and mix it with your favorite mayonnaise. Then allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a little while so that the mayonnaise takes on the lovely garlic flavor. It’s just as good as aioli trust me. I’ve even used it before as a dip for french fries.

Makes 2 sandwiches

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
• 6 chicken tender pieces (or 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• lettuce
• 2 cibatta rolls, sliced in half

1. In a bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, kosher salt and Herbs de Provence. Place chicken in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. In another bowl combine mayonnaise and garlic cloves. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. When ready, preheat your grill to medium-high. Cook marinated chicken until cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken.
4. To assemble the sandwiches: Place lettuce on the bottom half of the roll,  place 3 chicken tenders per sandwich on top. Spread the garlic mayonnaise on the top half of the bun.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

It may not be summer yet, but baseball has started which signals to me that its only a matter of time before we bust out the flip flops, tank tops and shorts. Oh and of course, our grills. While I can’t bring out my collection of $2 Old Navy flip flops in every color just yet, I figured I’d get a jump start on the grilling aspect of summer with this Spinach and Feta Turkey burger.

I like turkey burgers. I think I might actually prefer them to beef burgers. I like that they are lighter in flavor and to me they aren’t nearly as greasy. Lets just say I feel that I can get away with eating burgers more often if they are turkey burgers rather than beef burgers. Whether or not that is actually the case is another debate. Either way, this burger with spinach, feta and a pinch of nutmeg is sure to get you ready for summer.

Makes 2

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• fresh cracked black pepper
• Hamburger buns
• lettuce
• tomato
• mayonnaise

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet add onions and cook just until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and cooked just until it wilts. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Combine turkey, nutmeg, salt, and bread crumbs. Add in the cooled spinach and feta cheese. Mix well. Make two patties. Season both sides with black pepper.
3. Preheat grill to medium-low heat.
4. Once grill is heated cook until turkey is cooked through. About 7 – 10 minutes per side.
5. Toast buns if desired. Top with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. Serve.

Enjoy!

Have you ever read about some kind of food and immediately pictured yourself savoring every last bite of it? This happens to me from time to time. This sandwich is a perfect example. I’m currently reading a book where the main character is constantly eating a sandwich with ooey-gooey melted colby and cheddar cheese with sweet tomatoes sandwiched in between. After the 4th mention of it in the book, I had no choice but to make it on my own. Can you blame me?

In the book, the grilled cheese sandwich acts as a form of comfort for the main character. This is something that I can totally relate to. Even though it is often viewed as a kid food, I have always found a perfectly grilled grilled cheese sandwich one of those meals that always satisfies. I’m not sure if its the buttery bread or the melted cheese, but whatever it is after I’ve finished it I’ve always got a smile on my face.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 4 slices sour dough bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato sliced into 4 slices
• 4 slices colby cheese

1. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to butter each slice of bread.
2. Layer 2 slices of cheddar cheese, 2 tomato slices and two slices of colby cheese between 2 slices of sour dough bread.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place sandwich in pan and cook 3 – 4 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.
4. Serve.

And of course no grilled cheese sandwich would be complete without tomato soup so why not try serving it with this Fire Roasted Tomato Soup? Enjoy!

I think its safe to say that steak sandwiches are the ultimate man food. Or maybe its just the ultimate Ryan food. I’m not quite sure. All I know is that if I tell Ryan that I am making steak sandwiches he makes about 10 different trips to the kitchen to check my progress. If I tell him that I’m topping the steak sandwiches with pepper jack cheese and jalapeno mayo, he doesn’t even leave the kitchen.

You will notice that the steak in this recipe requires a bit of marinating, about 2 hours to be exact. While it may seem like a lot of time for a Super Bowl snack, they are totally worth it. I would recommend marinating the steak while you make the rest of your Super Bowl snacks , that way by the time you are done, you are ready to make these sandwiches. After the marinating, these sandwiches come together in a snap.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1 pound flat iron steak about 1 inch thick
• 1/4 cup red wine (I used Chianti)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 hoagie rolls
• 8 slices pepper jack cheese
• 4 lettuce leaves
• jalapeno mayonnaise (see recipe below)

1. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Whisk red wine, Worcestershire, garlic, seasoning salt and celery salt together in a bowl.  Pour over steak. Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. After steak has marinated, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter melts add steak. Cook 5 – 6 minutes on each side for medium rare. (Keep in mind that the steak will cook a bit under the broiler as well)
4. Transfer cooked steak to the cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, thinly slice against the grain.
5. Preheat oven broiler.
6. Cut hoagie rolls in half. For each sandwich, place 4 – 5 slices of steak on the bottom half of the roll. Place 2 slices of cheese on top of the steak. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. You may also toast the top half of the roll at this time, but it won’t take as long as the bottom half so keep an eye on it.
7. After cheese has melted, remove sandwich from oven, place lettuce on top. Spread jalapeno mayonnaise on top half of the roll.
8. Serve.

Jalapeno Mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 jalapenos (seeds removed from 1 jalapeno), minced
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt

1. Combine first four ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Not only is this mayonnaise great on this sandwich but it would also be wonderful on burgers too.

Enjoy!

To those of you that have asked me for healthier recipes, please forgive me for this one. I’ll get to them I promise, its just that it’s Super Bowl week and I couldn’t resist. After all what is a Super Bowl party without hot dogs? But these aren’t just any hot dogs my friends, these are Nacho Dogs. What are Nacho Dogs you ask? Just think of everything that you like piled high on your nachos, piled high on a hot dog instead. Trust me, between the cheesy nacho cheese, creamy guacamole and spicy jalapenos, you won’t even miss the mustard.

One, I assure you there are many, of my little quirks is that whenever I see something that looks delicious on TV, I crave it until I can make it on my own. That is exactly how this recipe was developed. I have been toying with the idea of a Nacho Hot Dog ever since I saw something similar on an episode of Man vs. Food. And since all of the toppings are generally a part of my Super Bowl parties, I figured that now would be the perfect time to give them a shot. I am not quite sure if I will ever eat a regular hot dog again.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 4 large hot dogs
• 4 hot dog buns
• 1 (9 ounce) container  nacho cheese dip
• 1 cup homemade guacamole
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices
• salsa

1. Cook hot dogs according to package directions and toast hot dog buns if desired.
2. Heat nacho cheese dip according to package directions.
3. Place hot dogs in buns. Top layer with nacho cheese, guacamole, chopped onion, jalapeno slices and salsa.
4. Serve.

If you’re looking for other game day recipes check out my Super Bowl Recipe collection. Enjoy!

Lets see… how do I put this sandwich into words. How do I tell you how wonderful the crispy batter is? How do I tell you that the combination of the crispy batter, flaky fish and homemade tartar sauce is a match made in heaven. Maybe I should just come out and say it. Its crispy. Its fried. Its slathered with tartar sauce. It. Is. Scrumptious.

Saturdays pretty much always start out the same in our house. Usually, I get up a couple of hours before Ryan, get some cleaning done and then I make a big breakfast. That big breakfast means that Saturday lunch is usually a light affair, maybe a salad or some leftovers, but this past Saturday I was a little indulgent and I slept in.

I didn’t sleep in that much, but it was just enough that it didn’t make sense to make my traditional big breakfast. When I told Ryan that I would not be making breakfast his response was “well then we have to have an even bigger lunch!” “Alright”, I told him, “I can handle that”.  But when I got out the ingredients for the fish sandwiches, he didn’t seem all that convinced that those two little fillets of fish would turn into the big lunch that he was hoping for. You should have seen the look on his face when I put the finished product in front of him.  Let’s just say, after happily devouring his and part of mine, he was more than willing to eat dinner a little later than usual.

Makes 2 sandwiches

You will need:

• oil for frying
• 2 white fish fillets (cod, snapper, halibut) bones and skin removed
• fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup beer batter (recipe follows)
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced
• tartar sauce
• 2 hamburger buns, toasted if desired

1. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees. Note: Make sure the pan is large enough that the fish fillets wont be crowded when frying.
2. Sprinkle the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Dip into batter. Gently lay battered fish into oil. Fry until golden brown about 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with more kosher salt if desired.
3. To assemble the sandwich place 1 lettuce leaf and 1 – 2 tomato slices on the bottom portion of the bun. Top with fish. Spread tartar sauce generously on top of fish. Repeat to make other sandwich.
4. Serve immediately.

Beer Batter

Makes 2 cups

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 12 fluid ounces beer

1. In a bowl whisk together flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
2. Slowly whisk in the beer.
3. Use immediately or store in an air-tight container. Use within a couple of days.

Enjoy!

Oh. My. Word. These were awesome. First, the chicken is marinated in buttermilk, dredged in seasoned flour, fried until golden and placed on a toasted kaiser roll with all the fixin’s. Then, just when you think that it couldn’t possibly get any better,  a little honey is drizzled over the top for a kiss of sweetness. I kid you not, I made these for Ryan and I the other day and after he finished his in an astonishing 5 minutes his quick little fingers grabbed mine while I had set it down in between bites. They were that good.

I would be lying if I told you that I am a huge sweets fan. Really, I’m not. I’m more of a salty food kind of person. That is why the fact that I liked this sandwich so much may seem weird to a few of you who know that I would prefer a pickle to a cookie any day. But this sandwich has just the right balance of salty and sweet to please just about any palate.

Please note that there is a little planning ahead required when making this recipe. The chicken needs to marinate in the buttermilk mixture for at least 2 hours.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and pat dry
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• oil for frying
• 2 kaiser rolls
• mayonnaise
• About 2 teaspoons honey
• tomato slices
• lettuce leaves
• sliced red onion

1. Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag.Pound with the flat side of meat mallet until flattened to 1/4  inch thick (a rolling pin would work too).
2. In a bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg,  1 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt and Tabasco. Place chicken breasts in the bowl, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. After marinating the chicken, place flour, baking powder and 1 tablespoon of seasoning salt in a resealable plastic bag. Remove chicken from marinade and transfer to flour. Shake to coat. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
4. Heat 1/ 2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, sprinkle a little flour over it. If it sizzles its ready. Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
5. Toast kaiser rolls. Spread mayonnaise on roll. Place chicken breast on bottom half of roll, drizzle 1 teaspoon of honey over each chicken breast. Add tomato, lettuce, onion and top half of roll.
6. Serve.

As I learned, if you happen to be eating this with anyone else at the table, hang on to your sandwich or it just might disappear. Enjoy!

When I told you that you can get a lot of recipes out of one batch of slow cooker pulled pork, I wasn’t lyin’. This dish was the 3rd dinner I got out of my recent batch of pulled pork. Unlike my previous recipes where I turned to the south (tacos, BBQ sandwiches) for my flavor inspiration,  I am turning to the east for this recipe.  I’m not talking about Spokane,  or even New York. No, I’m talking Asia. These sandwiches incorporate the succulent pulled pork but get an Asian inspired flavor boost from nutty sesame seeds and a tangy, spicy broccoli slaw.

To me a pulled pork sandwich just isn’t a pulled pork sandwich without a tangy slaw on top. This time around I swapped out the traditional green cabbage slaw for a bag of broccoli slaw that can be found in the produce section at the supermarket. It is a mixture of julienned carrots, broccoli and red cabbage. And just as a pulled pork sandwich isn’t a pulled pork sandwich without slaw, a slaw isn’t  a slaw with out the creamy dressing that goes along with it.  To really get the Asian flavor I was looking for, I made a quick dressing with mayonnaise, rice vinegar, ginger and sriracha sauce. Next, I poured the dressing over the broccoli slaw and let the whole thing sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so the flavors could mingle and make beautiful flavor music. I’m tellin’ ya it was like a symphony.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 – 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 cups broccoli slaw
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cups prepared pulled pork
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
• 3 green onions, diced
• 4 kaiser rolls

1. In a bowl whisk together mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sriracha, salt, ground ginger and rice vinegar. Taste. If you would like it spicier add more sriracha. Stir in broccoli slaw. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in garlic. Cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in pork, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the pork is warmed through. Stir in green onions. Turn heat to low to keep warm while you toast your kaiser rolls.
3. Slice the kaiser rolls in half and toast. Spoon pork mixture onto the bottom half of a roll, spoon sriracha slaw on top. Top with remaining half of bun.
4. Serve.

As with any pork sandwiches these are quite messy, but delicious nonetheless. Don’t forget the onion rings to serve on the side.  Enjoy!

If I had to make a list of my top 5 sandwiches, a classic BLT would certainly be near the top. The toasted sour dough bread, mayo, juicy tomatoes, crunchy bacon and crisp lettuce nearly always yield a scrumptious sandwich. A sandwich that I thought could not get any better. That is until I tried a BLT with the addition of spicy, succulent Cajun shrimp. Now that my taste buds have experienced this delicious combination, this sandwich just might inch its way past the traditional BLT on my sandwich list.

I first had a Shrimp BLT at a Cheesecake Factory of all places. Like all things Cheesecake Factory it was ginormous and I couldn’t finish it all. While I do remember it being quite good, I also remember thinking that the shrimp was lacking a little something.  It just didn’t have much flavor to it. I wanted something with a little more pizazz. I wanted a little more kick. Thus, when I made these at home recently I decided to add some Cajun seasoning to the shrimp before cooking. The spiciness isn’t over powering and combines nicely with the salty bacon and creamy mayo.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 8 slices of bacon
• 12 (31-40 count) prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• mayonnaise
• 1 tomato, sliced into 4 slices
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Fry bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy. About 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate, set aside.
2. In a bowl combine prawns, Cajun seasoning and olive oil. Transfer to a small pan and cook over medium heat, 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat, set aside.
3. Toast sourdough bread.
4. Spread mayonnaise on all four slices of bread. Assemble sandwiches by layering 4 slices of bacon, 6 prawns, 2 tomato slices and 1 lettuce leaf per sandwich. Serve immediately.

Serve with homemade potato chips and enjoy!